we come to have church
it all started with a simple prayer in 1981 by Rev. Bob McCarton, "Father, how about a Christian Blues Band?" It wasn\u2019t to take place until February 1994 in Passaic County Jail in Paterson, NJ. Rev. John Witherspoon stood at the microphone ready to sing the first song and announced, "We\u2019re Breakin\u2019 The Bondage Blues Band and we\u2019ve come to have church!" And that\u2019s exactly what they did, had church complete with hand clapping, foot stomping, and soul saving.\nThis group is dedicated to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world. It makes no difference if they are in a prison, public park, church, music festivals, anywhere. Their songs are original compositions inspired by The Holy Spirit. The words of each song are clear and cannot be misunderstood. Breakin\u2019 The Bondage Blues Band lifts up the Name of Jesus to be revered, praised, and worshiped.\n\tRev. Bob McCarton (aka The Blues Rev)\nLeader, founder, blues harp player, producer, and chief songwriter with contributions from the entire band. He\u2019s convinced that King David was the original Blues Harp player. Rev. Bob is just as comfortable playing those old church hymns on harmonica as he is getting down, gritty, dirty, and bluesy with the Blues of Breakin\u2019 The Bondage. He is a proud Vietnam Vet having served two tours of duty with the 19th Combat Engineer Battalion.\n\tRev. James Blank (a.k.a. Doc Ivory)\nChief vocalist and keyboardist for B4. Jim was raised by renowned Gospel singer Rev. Joe Scott Jr. and his family. At the age of thirteen, Rev. Jim was taught to turn on the church\u2019s Hammond B3 organ. Having no formal lessons, he was taught to play the organ by the Holy Spirit. Growing up in Evangelist Rev. Scott\u2019s family, Doc Ivory was taught to sing and discern in four part harmony and accompanied his stepfather everywhere. Jim is the pastor of an international outreach ministry.\n\tBrother Ken Neill\nRhythm guitar. His energy levels are legendary, his musical input is valuable. Ken plays on his church\u2019s worship team. In addition he also plays in a wedding band, a multi piece Big Band group, and string bass in a bluegrass group. Before coming to Jesus, Brother Ken played bass guitar in the heavy metal rock group Twisted Sister.\n\tBrother Ken "The Professor" McNeil\nLead guitar. For over 40 years, Ken has played in numerous rock and blues groups. His major influences are Freddie King, Luther Tucker, Buddy Guy just to name a few. Ken shares in the orchestration duties with B4\u2019s song writing. He is a proud Vietnam Vet having served with the First Cavalry Division in Long Range Recon Patrol (LRRP).\n\tRev. Keith "The Kid" DeGroat\nThe bass man. Keith comes from a musical family with deep roots in Gospel music. His mother, aunts, and uncles are The Gospelites. Keith had played percussion and bass with The Gospelites prior to joining Breakin\u2019 The Bondage.\n\tBrother Donnie Van Vooren\nDrums. Don has been keepin\u2019 the foot over the years with various club bands. He has a wide range of percussion background and brings a laid back attitude to the rhythm section. He\u2019s powerful, in the pocket, and just outright happy to be playing for Jesus.\n\tBrother Rhett Tyler\nGuest lead guitarist. Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and producer, Rhett is best known for his explosive style of scorching modern blues guitar and high-octane, house-rocking live performances. And when The Blues Rev goes head-to-head on blues harp with Rhett, watch out! You ain\u2019t never heard nutin\u2019 like this before. Call out the fire department!!!\n\tAnd...\nRev. John Witherspoon, Ray "Lightnin'" Griggs, Frank Robbins, Joe Brennan and Tommy "DC Tommy" Powell all performed on B4's debut CD, "We've Come To Have Church."